Alex Cobb struck out the first four batters he faced — one apiece on a fastball, curveball and split-change in the first inning — and didn't allow any of his four hits until the Blue Jays’ three-run fifth inning in an eventual 4-3 Orioles win at Dunedin Stadium.

Trea Turner hit two homers, including his first career grand slam, and drove in eight runs to help the Washington Nationals rally from a nine-run deficit and defeat the Miami Marlins and end a five-game losing streak.

The Orioles have used deferred money in their long-term free agent contracts for five offseasons. It was used to entice Alex Cobb this year, and the money saved on present commitments with deferred money was used toward his 2018 salary.

The Washington Nationals' decision to get Strasburg signed now might be another sign that the assumptions about the market for baseball's top potential free agents have changed, which could impact when young superstars Manny Machado and Bryce Harper get the megacontracts they almost certainly will command and just how much those deals will cost.

Former Maryland guard Lexie Brown has transferred to Duke. The rising junior will sit out this season under NCAA transfer rules and will have two years of eligibility remaining beginning with the 2016-17 season.

If you're trying to make sense of how the Orioles front office is handling top pitching prospect Kevin Gausman -- who was sent back to the minor leagues after another strong start on Sunday -- you're not alone.

BOSTON -- Orioles right-hander Bud Norris came out of his two-inning simulated game Saturday well and is a candidate to start on Tuesday or Wednesday against the Nationals, but the club is leaning toward starting him Tuesday in Washington.

It shouldn¿t come as a huge surprise that the Orioles have decided to bring up top college pitching prospect Kevin Gausman to start against theToronto Blue Jays on Thursday. The club has a need and there really is no need to leave any more good innings at Double-A Bowie.

Clearly, baseball fans and the media who represent them are hungry for some real news as the exhibition season gets underway, but it will be a while before what happens on the field really starts to mean much.

Dan Haren, one of baseball's best right-handed starting pitchers for a half-decade, needed to choose this winter where to continue his career. He used a rationale that, while sound, for generations would have constituted pure fantasy.